Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey told state board members today that while the move to distance learning is going well overall, he has concerns about internet access, mental health of students, teachers and families, and meal service for children.

Calling the past month "very unusual," Mackey praised Alabama's schools, saying they're doing a "remarkable" job under the circumstances. He acknowledged there have been "glitches," but said most feedback from parents and teachers has been positive.

Mackey said schools are using a combination of online learning and instructional packets for students, and that internet access is a big concern.

He said the pandemic and school closures have put a "spotlight" where gaps in internet coverage are, but that school districts are being creative, using school buses as mobile wi-fi hotspots to give students access to the internet.

"How do we take this and use this as a jumpstart to really close all the gaps across the state," Mackey said, "so that if this were to ever happen again, we would have access to broadband in every community."

Mackey said he is worried about the mental health of students and teachers and families, too.

"We all know there's economic stress, there's the additional stress of people being at home together and not having as many outlets, whether that's through church or shopping or going to the restaurants," he said. "And then many of our parents have become teachers all of a sudden, too."

Mackey said the statewide task force he formed has a subcommittee on mental health but offered no concrete plans for help for families in the short term.

A number of Alabama school districts have shut down meal service programs to their students, leaving children without access to school meals. Mackey said many districts are transitioning to their summer meal service programs, where community organizations and nonprofits offer meals through the USDA's summer offerings.

Mackey told board members that the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act will provide additional benefits for families who need help paying for meals that would have been provided at school.

He said it is up to the Department of Human Resources to get that program going, and it is important to get it up and running. Federal estimates show families who qualify for the benefit could receive as much as $130 per month for each child.

“It’s a big project for about 400,000 students,” Mackey said. “In a matter of weeks, they’ll be distributing those EBT cards to students across the state.”

Mackey also said they're changing the way they work at the state department, with executive leadership—who have been working at the building every day—rotating in and out of the building.

"We're all being told the next two weeks are probably the most important two weeks for us to maintain social distancing," he said, and they hope to model for school districts how they should be working from home whenever possible.

The state board of education last met March 12, one day before the Gov. Kay Ivey announced schools would close statewide. The initial closure lasted from March 19 through April 3, but on March 26, Ivey announced schools would close for the rest of the school year.